Employment Handbooks, Policies & Procedures

Our Employment Team are highly experienced in advising employers on all aspects of employee staff handbooks, policies and procedures.

These documents are vital to the smooth running of your operation, ensuring that all employees have a common understanding of company expectations, procedures and values — while also helping your business remain compliant with Irish employment law.

We frequently encounter businesses who have failed to invest appropriately in these areas, and as a result, have inadvertently breached the law. This not only puts employees at risk of injury, overwork, bullying and harassment, but it also places the business at risk of data protection, equality and other types of breaches.

Taking a proactive approach to your staff handbook and internal policies is one of the most effective ways to protect both your workforce and your business.

An employee handbook is a written document outlining company policies, procedures and expectations. It typically includes everything from disciplinary procedures and leave entitlements to workplace conduct and grievance processes.

Employee handbooks play a vital role in communicating company policies and procedures, terms and conditions, and information on leave and benefits. The handbook should be updated regularly, located in a central location and be made available to all employees. In doing so, any updates or revisions can be seen by all staff.

The company vision / mission / ethos
Information on employment records you hold and associated data protection
Company policies and procedures (this may reference separate documents for each policy and procedure), including:
- Disciplinary procedures
- Grievance and dispute procedures
- Bullying and harassment procedures
- Complaints procedures
- Health and safety policies
- Equality policy
- Smoking policy
- Overtime policy
- Social media policy

Employee Handbooks should be written by HR professionals with enough knowledge of all areas of Employment law covered within the documents. They should also update the handbook regularly as the business changes or as legal requirements evolve.

It is also important that the document and its accompanying policies and procedures are tailored to your business operation, not merely a standard publication.

Get Expert Legal Advice on Workplace Policies & Handbooks

Submit your details for a confidential consultation with our Employment Law Team.

Key Contacts

Marc Fitzgibbon

Partner

Ernesta Staponkute

Solicitor

Why Choose Lavelle for Employee Handbooks & Policies?

Our Employment Team, headed up by Partner Marc Fitzgibbon, are highly experienced in advising on all aspects of Employee Handbooks, Policies & Procedures over the past 35 years.
Marc is ranked in Band 2 in the latest Chambers and Partners Europe 2024 Guide for Employment: Mainly Plaintiff.
Whether you need legal guidance or a completely new staff handbook, our Employment Team can provide expert assistance.
We understand the need to ensure that staff handbooks, policies and procedures are drafted fully in-line with the law, thereby protecting your business or organisation from the threat of a claim or reputational damage.
As a full-service law firm, client's benefit from our multi-disciplinary offering and our specialist legal expertise across a number of related practice areas including Banking & Finance, Corporate & Commercial and Property.

Need Help? Just Ask.

For expert legal advice on Employment Handbooks, Policies & Procedures, call us on +353 1 644 5800 or email law@lavellepartners.ie

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What Our Clients Say

"Marc Fitzgibbon, more than 40 years of experience advising in employment law matters, strategic advice, accessible, calm and measured."

Legal 500, 2026

"Specialist employment law advice, particularly good for senior executive employees as well as SMEs".

Legal 500, 2026

"Marc Fitzgibbon. Highly expert in employment law, with a pragmatic approach, understanding the business perspective and solutions-focused."

Legal 500, 2026

"We chose Lavelle Partners based on the excellent reputation of Marc Fitzgibbon, and we could not be happier with that decision. Marc is highly experienced and exceptionally capable. He is also a grounded, likeable and approachable person who genuinely cares, and he places tremendous importance on always acting towards his clients best interests. Marc's advice and support was absolutely invaluable and I don't feel that there is anything further that Lavelle could possibly have done better to support me."

Michael King, Employment Client, 2026

"Ernesta and the Lavelle Partners LLP team recently helped me with a labour legal matter, and I was extremely impressed with the level of service, support and attention to detail. Ernesta answered all my questions clearly, with transparency, context and a structured approach that made the process much easier to navigate. I would highly recommend Ernesta and the team to anyone looking for legal support, especially in employment or labour matters."

Rob W, Employment Client, 2026

"The Employment team in Lavelle are highly practical and flexible in dealing with legal issues. The team have deep experience and always place the client first in their considerations. They do precisely what is required and carefully resist the temptation to turn small issues into big issues."

Legal 500, 2025

"Marc Fitzgibbon is approachable and pragmatic in all his dealings, as well as being highly knowledgeable in the area of Employment law. His advice is constructive and practical, ensuring that the client is protected and has the best representation."

Legal 500, 2025

"There is almost no kind of Employment law issue that Marc Fitzgibbon has not encountered over the course of a vastly experienced career. He is tactically astute and is highly respected by his colleagues. When I am asked to provide a recommendation for an Employment law solicitor Marc is always at the top of my list."